


His Moon and His Sun

by MoonliteDelight



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Lots of tw but I wanna be sure I got everything, M/M, Slow Burn, Story Retelling, blood tw, fighting tw, i guess, like really slow burn, panic attack tw, violence tw
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-14
Updated: 2018-07-29
Packaged: 2019-04-22 23:20:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14319288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonliteDelight/pseuds/MoonliteDelight
Summary: Robin wakes up in a field with no memory and immediately meets one of the most attractive people he's (probably) ever met . After a rather charismatic chat with Chrom, Robin joins the Shepherds. Before long, he finds himself quickly falling for the attractive prince, despite every reason not to.---Awakening re-telling with a focus on Chrobin and eventually Chrom/Robin/Olivia. Tags will update with story. Previously called Defining Moments.





	1. Awakening

**Author's Note:**

> So here's my first go at a long story. I have no idea how many chapters are going to be involved in this story, but it's gonna be a long one.  
> I wanted to write something for both Chrom/Robin and for my other ship Robin/Olivia, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to do two fics. So instead I combined it into one and made Chrom/Robin/Olivia because I found Chrom and Olivia's supports to be cute and I have married both in separate playthroughs. Before I knew it, I had a whole plotted fanfic outlined instead of a small one-shot. So here's to what's probably the first fic for this OT3. 
> 
>  
> 
> Tag Warning: Robin ends up having a panic attack. To avoid the description of it, skip from "If he had any loved ones at all-" to "Panic Attack. Noun."

Grass.

That was the first thing to register in his foggy brain. There was grass underneath him providing a small amount of comfort as the blades tickled the back of his neck and cheeks.

He tried to move his arm to feel the grass when the full-body ache hit him. The man let out a groan as every part of his body was filled with dulled pain, as though he had just fought an entire army. He could feel several spots on his person that _burned_ with pain. He must have been injured somehow…

“...have to do _something_!” A light tone spoke somewhere above him. It took him a moment to realize that the voice was filled with concern. Who were they concerned for?

“What do you suppose we do?” A second, deeper tone followed, coming from the same place as the first. The second voice sounded just as concerned as the first. The two must be having a conversation, the man thought.

“I-I don’t know!” The slight shrill in the first voice caused him to grimace. He opened his eyes to try and find the two who were speaking and had to blink several times against the harsh light.

Two blurry figures stood above him, not noticing his gaze. It took several more moments for his eyes to adjust before he could see them. Just as he thought, there were two people standing above him, one male and one female. He started to sit up, groaning at the pain in doing so.

His groan must have alerted them to his presence because the next thing he knew, the two were looking at him. “I see you’re awake now,” said the man, the rich tone of his voice registering before the words did.  

“Hey there!” said the girl, giving him a big smile as he finally sat up. He looked at her, taking in the girl’s appearance. Two pigtails framed her face, giving her a youthful look that matched well with the bright smile on her face. Her dress was nearly the same color as her hair, bright and vivid. _She must be some kind of noble to afford that clothing,_ he thought. _Bright dyes are hard to come by…_

“There are better places to take a nap than on the ground, you know,” his attention was drawn back to the man from before. Before he could take anything more than a cursory glance at the man, a hand was in front of his face. “Here, give me your hand.”

Hesitantly, he put his hand in the other male’s. The aches in his body flared as he was pulled up and-

Woah.

This man was attractive.

This man was _very attractive_.

He could be an _angel_ for all he knew. With the way the sun hit his hair, brighting the rich blue tone until it was as blue as the ocean itself, and the way his eyes shone and that _smile_ …

A chuckle reached his ears. “You can let go of my hand now.”

He blinked before looking down at his hand, still clasped in the man’s. His face burned as he took his hand away, pressing it close to his side, before looking down at the ground. “S-sorry!”

The man let out another chuckle. “It’s alright. Are you okay? You looked like you’ve been unconscious for some time now.”

He gave a small nod. “Y-yes, I-I’m okay. T-thank you, Chrom,” he stuttered before pausing. Where did he get the name ‘Chrom’ from? Was that the ‘angel’’s name? How did he know it? He looked back up at the other man, looking at him with confusion. He still looked unfamiliar. Surely someone of this level of attractiveness would be more familiar to him…

‘Chrom’ looked surprised. “You know who I am, then?”

He shook his head, feeling more than a little flustered. “Ah, no, I don’t think-I mean, I just-I said that name and I’m not sure _why_ I said it. It’s even more weird that it’s _your_ name. I-It just came out and t-that’s very strange because you seem very unfamiliar and I’m sure I would’ve remembered meeting you before if I have-” He stopped, face flushing more as he lifted his hands up to cover it. “I-I’m sorry, I’m rambling a-and...This is embarrassing…”

He heard the girl from before giggle behind him before Chrom spoke again. “It’s alright. There’s no need to get worked up. It is curious that you know my name, but not who I am. But we can move past that. Tell me, what’s your name? What brings you here?”

He lowered his hands to look at Chrom. “My name is…” he paused, thinking for a moment, and turning his gaze the ground. “It’s...I…”

Chrom frowned. “You don’t know your own name?”

A wave of anxiety washed over him as Chrom’s words registered. No, he didn’t know his name. He frantically looked around, trying to spot any familiar landmarks. “I...I-I’m not...I-I’m sorry but, where am I exactly?”

The girl gasped behind him. He and Chrom turned to look at her. “I’ve heard of this! It’s called amnesia!”

_Amnesia._

He...he has amnesia.

As in he can’t remember anything.

The diagnosis fit: He couldn’t remember his name, who he was, where he was, how he got there, if anyone was missing him, if he had any loved ones at all-

He took a step back from Chrom as his breathing turned quick and his gaze became fixed on the ground. Panic filled his chest as he struggled to remember anything, anything at all-

He grabbed at his hair, pulling at the strands in an attempt to ground himself. He sank to the ground with a cry, panic-filled breaths becoming sobs as the anxiety attack took ahold of him.

“Hey-” Suddenly his vision was filled with _Chrom_. The other man was crouched in front of him, reaching for his hands. He flinched away and Chrom backed up slightly before reaching for him again, his voice gentle. “Hey, you’re alright. Take deep breaths.”

Chrom gently untangled his hands from his snowy hair and brought them down between them. “Here, breathe with me, alright? Just focus on breathing.”

He nodded and tried to follow Chrom’s instructions.

In. Out.

In. Out.

The panic started to subside, leaving him shaking as he tried to calm his sobbing breaths. Chrom smiled, “See, you’re alright.”

He let out harsh sigh before spotting movement out of the corner of his eye. A third person, a man who he hadn’t noticed before, had a silver lance in his hand and was slowly approaching him and Chrom. He flinched back, his eyes trained on the blade of the lance.

The girl noticed the man at the same time and ran over to him, putting her hand on his arm. “Fredrick! Put that away! You’re scaring him!”

Frederick frowned, glancing at the girl before lowering his lance. “For all we know this could be a ruse. He could pull a weapon at any moment.”

Chrom shook his head. “I doubt this man could do anything of the sort right now, Frederick. He’s having a panic attack.”

 

After a few more moments of breathing, Robin could feel himself relax slighty.

“Are you feeling better now?” Chrom had looked back at him and was gently smiling at him. His heart stuttered for a moment as he numbly nodded.

“Y-yes, I-I’m...I’m feeling better now. Sorry for all the commotion…” He looked away, his embarrassment catching up with him.

“It’s alright,” Chrom said, shaking his head. “Everything is probably overwhelming right now for you. I doubt I’d be able to do any better in your shoes.”

He opened his mouth to disagree when tweeting reached his ears. He and Chrom looked up to see a bird in the tree above them, looking down at their party.

“Oh!” Cried the girl. “It’s a robin! They’re considered good luck!”

He and the bird stared at each other for a few long moments before the bird went back to building its nest in the tree. 

“Robin…” he said, looking at the bird above him.

“Pardon?” Chrom asked, looking between the amnesiac and the bird.

The girl gasped. “You remembered?!”  
  
Robin shook his head. “No, but…” He looked back at the bird. “If robins are considered lucky, then what better name to have?”


	2. Cannibal Kidnappers?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the group makes their way to Southtown, Robin starts to wonder about the people he's decided to travel with.

After the situation with Robin’s anxiety was over, Chrom announced that the group was going to take Robin over to a nearby town. Robin tried to argue against it, but one look at the gentle smile on Chrom’s face silenced his tongue. That man was the epitome of charisma, if only by looks alone.

Lissa--who introduced herself as such after forgetting to before--was apparently an experienced healer. After getting up off of the ground with Chrom, Robin’s mysterious wounds became rather evident as he almost collapsed back to the ground. Thankfully, Lissa had a staff handy and was able to heal him, though it was rather concerning for all involved about _where_ the wounds had come from.

From there, the group set off towards the nearby town. Robin walked behind Chrom and Lissa, trying his best not to stare at the former. Frederick insisted on walking behind Robin, making sure the amnesiac wouldn’t do anything to hurt Chrom or Lissa. For the most part, Robin kept his head down and his eyes trained on his feet, occasionally sparing a glance up at Chrom before stopping himself and returning his gaze to the ground.

He wasn’t sure what to make of his current situation. Looks could be very deceiving, as Frederick pointed out earlier. Sure, Lissa healed his wounds and Chrom helped him with his panic attack--not to mention he seemed too attractive to be evil--but Robin still couldn’t brush off the idea that something could be amiss. For all he knew, the three were kidnappers; bandits employed in the art of securing slaves. With his amnesia, they could’ve been the ones to give him the memory loss in the first place just to subdue him. Or they could be cannibals, intent on taking him back to their home to have him for dinner. _Or,_ Robin’s increasingly panicked mind supplied, _they could be cannibal kidnappers._

Robin fisted his hands in his coat, mind working overtime at the thought of what danger the strangers who found him could possess. Gods, why did he ever think going with them was a good idea-

His train of thought was suddenly broken as he walked straight into Chrom’s back, not noticing the other man had stopped walking. Strong hands quickly made their way to Robin’s shoulders to steady him as the amnesiac looked up to find Chrom’s concerned gaze searching his own.

“Are you alright, Robin?” Chrom asked, the concern in his voice making Lissa stop walking and turn to the two.

Robin searched Chrom’s gaze for any ill intent. “I-...I just…” Robin looked away, shoulders tensing under Chrom’s hands. “I apologize if this sounds like paranoia, but…” Robin paused a moment before taking a deep breath, returning his gaze to Chrom’s with a mixture of fear and defiance, “Am I your prisoner?”

Chrom stepped back from Robin, surprise overtaking the man’s concern. “What? Gods no! What would make you think that?”

The surprise on Chrom’s face made Robin falter for a moment, suddenly unsure of his own thoughts. “It’s just… While we’ve been over that I’m a stranger to your group, you’re just as much strangers to me a-and,” Robin pauses, looking away in shame, “I-I supposed I got a little worked up about it. Little things started to seem much bigger than they really were…” Like how Frederick and Chrom were both armed and how insistent the three were about going to town. Robin rubbed his arm in embarrassment. “I-I’m sorry… You’re being kind to me and here I am thinking you have ill intentions…”

Chrom stared at Robin for a moment before shaking his head. “No, you’re right. I forgot for a moment that we’re just as much strangers to you as you are to us. It’s well within your right to be cautious of us.” Chrom paused for a moment. “Now that I think about it, I don’t believe we’ve properly introduced ourselves. Would that help to ease your mind?”

Robin looked back at Chrom, blinking at the offer. “Y-yes, I suppose that would help…”

Chrom nodded. “Alright. Well, I’m Chrom, but you already knew that. Lissa is my delicate little sister,” he said humorously, smirking slightly as he gestured to Lissa.

The girl pouted. “I am _not_ delicate!” she shouted before punching Chrom in the arm, causing the man to laugh. The sound alone sent a wave of warmth through Robin’s body. The two siblings started to playfully argue, easing the tension from Robin’s shoulders as he started to softly laugh as well.

The sound stopped the two, who turned to look at Robin softly laughing. For the first time since waking up, a genuine smile graced Robin’s features. The sibling’s antics made the panic in his chest fade as he wondered how he could’ve ever mistaken the two for bandits.

The man’s laughter started to die out after noticing their stares and looked away, face turning red. Lissa smiled and huffed one last time at Chrom before turning to Robin. “Ignore my brother, he can be a bit thick sometimes--” _In more ways than one,_ Robin’s mind supplied, making his face burn more as he mentally slapped himself. “--lucky the Shepherds found you! Someone else could’ve found you instead, like brigands or something. Now _that_ would’ve been a rude awakening!” Lissa declared.

 

Robin blinked in surprise. He glanced at Lissa’s bright, sophisticated dress before moving his gaze to Frederick’s thick armor and the shielded horse that walked behind him. “Shepherds” didn’t describe this group. Lissa’s attire alone suggested that she was likely from an upper-class family and if that was true, then Chrom was, too, though he had been avoiding looking at the man. Robin stuttered enough as it was _without_ Chrom’s looks coming into the equation. That just made it harder to talk to him. Not to mention, who herds sheep in full armor? Sheep are too easily scared to be around someone who’s every step sets off a cycle of clinks.

Chrom chucked--Gods that did so many things to him--at his confused expression. “I know we don’t exactly look the part, but we are Shepherds. It’s quite the dangerous job. Just ask Frederick the Wary,” Chrom said, humor once again lacing his tone as he gestured to Frederick.

“A title I wear with pride,” Frederick huffed. “Someone needs to err on the side of caution, lest we find ourselves in danger.” Frederick turned to Robin. “As much as I would like to trust you, my station requires otherwise. As you said yourself: you are but a stranger.”

_Station?_ Robin looked at Frederick again, glancing at his armor and horse. If Lissa and Chrom are higher-class citizens, then Frederick is likely some kind of bodyguard. _That explains the sharp lance._

Looking back at Frederick’s face, he found the man staring at him. Oh, he was expecting a reply. Robin shyly nodded at the bodyguard. “I...I think that’s wise. I’m a stranger to everyone, even myself…”

“Don’t worry, Robin,” Chrom spoke up. “I’m sure your memories will return to you in time. For now, let’s make our way to the town.”

Robin nodded while Lissa gave a sigh of relief. “Finally! If we hurry now, we can stay the night at the inn! It’s almost sundown.” The girl took off, running up the slope of the hill in front of them. “Last one there has to share a bed with Frederick!”

Robin laughed, causing Chrom to turn to him. “Lissa’s quite energetic, isn’t she?”

Chrom stared at Robin for what he believed to be a few seconds too many. _Is it just me or does his face seem a little red?_ Robin thought, looking at the other man as he seemed to shake himself out of his stupor. “Uh, yes, um,” Chrom rubbed the back of his neck as the men started to follow Lissa. “Yeah, she’s pretty energetic. She’s pretty much always been like tha-”

Suddenly, Chrom was cut off by Lissa’s voice, laced with horror, screaming, “Chrom! The town!”

Chrom turned away from Robin and sprinted up the hill towards his sister. After a moment of hesitation, Robin followed, freezing at the sight at the top of the hill.

The town, now visible over the top of the hill, was in chaos. Fires could be seen dotting various parts of town and several houses looked destroyed. Even from the distance they were at, Robin could see the marketplace in shambles with men running around waving axes or shooting off spells. Pillars of black smoke rose from the town, slowly blocking out the sun above it.

“Damn! Brigands must be attacking the town!” Chrom growled out, clenching his fists and surprising Robin with the force of his anger. He turned to Frederick and Lissa. “Quickly! We need to help them!”

Lissa nodded, but Frederick tipped his head in Robin’s direction, causing the man to blink at the sudden attention. “And what about him?”

Chrom shook his head, “Unless he’s on fire as well, he can wait. Now come on! We need to hurry before it’s too late.”

Frederick nodded as he mounted his horse, pulling Lissa up to sit in front of him. “Aptly put, Milord.”

 

The use of the title drew Robin's attention. So he was right, Chrom and Lissa were some kind of noble. Robin watched as Frederick and Lissa took off toward the town on horseback, Chrom following behind on foot. It was quite admirable. The two were nobles, rich enough to afford a personal bodyguard, and yet they were out in the countryside helping out commoners. They could’ve stayed at a mansion somewhere in peace without having to worry about brigands, but instead they were out fighting to help others and risking their own lives in the process. It was…

 

Courageous. It was definitely a word that described Chrom in particular. Robin had only known him for a short time, but even he could tell that Chrom had a big heart. Hell, Robin had been a complete stranger and Chrom still took the risk to help him out.

But could Robin describe himself as courageous? He wasn’t sure. His current memories were few and the prospect of possibly dying didn’t sound too appealing to him, especially with the earlier encounter with Frederick’s lance. He could leave now and just let the ‘shepherds’ deal with the brigands…

Robin turned to walk away when a thought struck him. _What if something happens to Chrom?_ He shook his head. Nothing was going to happen to Chrom. Sure, there were more brigands than the small group, but he had a sword!

Then again, Chrom was a noble who likely relied more on his bodyguard for protection than his own blade. Robin started to sweat a little and turned back towards the town. Did Chrom even know how to properly hold a sword? Nobles aren’t known for fighting and Chrom looked young, like he recently grew out of adolescence. Young men typically thought they could take on the world; self-confidence much higher than their skills. Was Chrom the type of person to be that overconfident and optimistic?

…

Yes.

He absolutely was.

...Damn it.

Before he could stop himself, Robin was running towards the town. Someone needed to stop that man from getting himself killed. He just hoped he wasn’t too late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm hoping to get a regular schedule in place where I upload a new chapter every Friday, but I don't know how well it's going to go because the next month or so is going to be busy since I have finals and HS Graduation coming up. But here's to hoping!


	3. Southtown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robin reunites with the Shepherds in Southtown and the group tackles the brigands that were destroying the town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tw: Blood and dipictions of fighting

Robin panted, stopping briefly in his rush to find Chrom to lean on the walls of the alley he found himself in. He needed a plan. He couldn’t just rush in there and not be able to do anything.

 

Robin patted his outfit to see if he had anything. Much to his surprise, he found that he had both a sword and a tome strapped to his side that he wasn’t aware of previously. How did he miss such a heavy weight? Now that he found the weapons, they seemed to weight on him, feeling much heavier than they did before.

 

The tactician took the sword out of its sheath, admiring it for a moment before taking a few practice swings in the empty alley. It wasn’t too heavy, but it did seem to take a bit of effort to swing. He’ll need to remedy that in the future.

 

He put the sword back into its sheath and pulled the thunder tome out of its holster. He flipped the book open, scanning the pages. To his surprise, he could understand the incantations within it. Robin looked around the alley before spotting a crate. Silently apologizing to its owners, the man whispered the incantation before shouting, “Thunder!” and throwing his hand towards the crate.

 

The blast was much bigger than he expected.

 

The ball of lightning exploded from his hand, knocking the man off of his feet and into the wall, and destroyed the crate, sending bits and pieces of it flying everywhere. Robin stayed on the ground, dazed for a few moments before picking up himself and the tome off of the ground. He stared at the remains of the crate for a few moments before saying, “Well, that works, I guess... Tome it is, then.”

 

Robin closed the book, holding it to his chest before running further down the alleyway.

 

\------

 

The tactician was only running for a few moments before he could hear the screech of blades hitting each other followed by a familiar shout. Turning a corner, Robin found himself looking at Chrom, the other man held close to the wall as a much larger fighter barricaded him with his axe. The brigand was at least a foot taller than the noble and seemed like he was twice his size.

The tactician ducked back behind the corner, flicking open his tome and taking a deep breath. He muttered the incantation from before, forming the ball of lightning in his hand once more. He then turned back around the corner and aimed the ball towards the hulking figure. “Thunder!”

 

Both Chrom and the brigand looked up to see Robin pushed back by the magic again as the rather large ball of lightning came straight at them. Chrom quickly ducked to the ground, seeing that the brigand was distracted, and watched in awe as the lightning hit the man square in the chest, knocking him off of his feet and to the ground where he stayed, unconscious.

 

Chrom turned to look at Robin, who was rubbing his shoulder as he sat up. “Did it work?” the tactician groaned, looking over at where Chrom was.

 

The noble glanced once more at the slightly smoking body and nodded. “I think that did the trick,” he turned back to Robin, the two getting to their feet. “You didn’t say you knew magic.”

 

Robin shrugged, grabbing his tome from the ground. “Honestly, _I_ didn’t know I knew magic. Though I would like to know how to do it without falling off of my feet. That hurt.”

 

Chrom chuckled. “It looked like it did. It was impressive nonetheless. I’m glad to have you on _my_ side.”

 

The tactician’s face burned as he hugged his tome. “I-It was nothing. Anyways,” waving a hand through the air, as if to dispel his own embarrassment, Robin continued, “are you alright? It seems I got here just in time. Where are Lissa and Frederick?”

 

Chrom frowned, drawing a hand through his hair. “I’m not sure. We started fighting with the brigands in the marketplace, but we were outnumbered. One of the fighters, the one you just felled, managed to corner me and separate me from the others.”

 

Robin nodded and started making his way to where Chrom had come from. “Then let's go. If you were having trouble with just one brigand, I hate to think how the others are doing, especially since Lissa is a healer and doesn’t fight.”

 

The two started to dash off towards the marketplace and quickly found it covered in flames. The two men covered their mouths with their arms as the entrance to the alley neighbored a large fire that was once a stall for selling wares. Robin scanned the marketplace and found their missing companions not too far from where they were standing.

 

Frederick was fighting two of the brigands at once; a fighter and a myrmidon slicing at him as he fought back with his impressive lance. Lissa cowered behind him, staff raised as she healed the man’s injuries near constantly. Even at the distance Robin was as, the tactician could tell this was a losing battle if he and Chrom didn’t intervene.

 

Turning to look at Chrom, Robin spoke up, “Alright, here’s the plan. You go around to the left and help Frederick take care of that myrmidon. Working together, both of you should be able to take him out rather quickly. I’ll go around to the right and see if I can blast the fighter and at least distract him if it doesn’t down him in one shot.”

 

Chrom nodded, unsheathing his blade. “Sounds good to me. Be careful.”

 

“I will.” The two separated, sneaking around to surprise each enemy. As he neared the brigand, Robin flicked opened his tome. Unlike before, the man braced himself for the knockback of the magic before muttering the incantation.

 

He held the forming ball of lightning in his hand until he spotted Chrom dashing out from behind a stall, shouting as he beared down upon the swordsman he was tasked with defeating. The shout drew the attention of the fighter, but before the brigand could do anything, Robin shouted, “Thunder!” and launched the ball of lightning towards the fighter.

 

Thankfully, Robin managed to stay on his feet despite the recoil, though the same could not be said for the fighter. The brigand took the strike, stumbling back a few paces before he fell down, dead.

 

Robin, panting slightly  from exhaustion, closed his tome and turned to see how Chrom and Frederick were doing.

 

As expected, the myrmidon was down, bleeding from a large cut on his chest that was likely put there by Chrom. Lissa was healing her brother as the two spoke, though Robin was too far away to hear what it was.

 

Making his way over, he was able to make out the end of the conversation.

 

“...fine! It’s just a scratch, Lissa!”

 

“It’s more than that! You could’ve lost your _arm_ , Chrom! You need to be more careful,” Lissa argued, causing Chrom to frown at her.

 

“She’s right, you know,” Robin spoke up, the two siblings turning to him. “I’ve only known you for less than a day and even I can tell you’re quite reckless in battle. You need to be more aware of your surroundings.”

 

“See? Even Robin agrees with me!” Lissa chirped, running her staff over Chrom one last time before giving a nod and pulling back. “There! All done!”

 

“Thanks,” Chrom mumbled. He seemed to almost be pouting. It was kinda cute.

 

Robin’s cheeks started to warm up at the thought, but thankfully he was saved from further thoughts by Frederick. “Why are you here? I thought you had chosen to run while you could.”

 

The tactician sighed before looking up at Frederick. “I’ll be honest, I almost did. But when I thought about the brigands attacking the town, I was worried that you would be outnumbered or Chrom would rush in without a plan.”

 

Frederick looked at the amnesiac for a few moments before sighing as well. “Your intuition was correct. When we arrived, we were outnumbered and though Milord has many excellent skills, I must admit that strategy is not one of them.”

 

“Hey!” Chrom protested. “My strategy was working out fine until we got seperated!”

 

Lissa looked at her brother and deadpanned, “Chrom, you literally told us to ‘group up’ and ‘fight until they’re all dead’.”

 

Robin snorted as Chrom’s expression fell into a stubborn pout. “That’s...quite an interesting approach to tactics.”

 

Lissa started laughing as Chrom sighed. “REGARDLESS,” Chrom interrupted, shouting over Lissa’s giggles. “We should deal with the rest of brigands. They’re likely using this time to improve their defenses.”

 

Robin scanned the marketplace, noting the positions and weapons of the remaining brigands. “Well, strategy might not be Chrom’s best attribute,” Chrom frowned while Lissa looked like she was about to start giggling again, “It does seem to be mine. So here’s what we’re going to do…”

 

\-----

 

Several battles and a few quickly healed injuries later, the group arrived at the leader of the brigands.

 

“Aha! Comin’ to the slaughter, little sheep?” The man barked, raising his axe over his shoulder. “Don’ worry, I’ll make it quick for ya!”

 

He charged at Chrom, who raised his sword to block the attack. The sword caught the axe and the two were trapped in a brief stalemate. With a shout of “Thunder!”, a ball of lightning hit the brigand in the stomach, causing him to retreat to look at the new enemy.

 

“Ah!” The man chuckled. “I see one of the little sheep is also a little traitor!”

 

Robin froze, staring at the man. “What are you talking about?”

 

The brigand barked out a laugh. “Playin’ dumb I see! No matter. Yer gonna join the rest of the sheep in the slaughter!”

 

The brigand lunged at Robin, causing the tactician to stumble back and out of the way of the swipe. Robin dropped his tome, quickly unsheathing the so-far-unused sword and blocking the next swipe with it.

 

Movement behind the brigand caught Robin’s attention as he spotted Chrom coming behind the man, sword raised to strike. The brigand, noticing Robin’s changed attention, started to turn only to be sliced across the front by Chrom’s sword.

 

He stumbled back, bleeding from the chest. Before he could attack again, the tip of a sword broke through his front. He stared down at it before chuckling. “Guess I’ll be meetin’ my end after all.”

 

The brigand slumped forward, falling to the ground and dragging Robin, who was still holding his sword, with him. Robin made a shocked noise before letting go of his sword, still embedded in the man’s back, and stumbling back. While he had killed several brigands at this point, this one felt different, more impactful. He wasn’t sure if the difference was due to the close quarters of using a sword or if it was the man’s words about him being a traitor.

 

He could feel his hands shaking as he stared at the body. Gods, what was wrong with him? Why did _this_ death affect him but not the others?

 

_Personal._

 

This death felt more _personal._

 

None of the other brigands had tried to talk to him or do anything other than try to kill him. It made them feel more...inhuman. It objectified them. It made it distant.

 

A hand on his shoulder made him jump and whip around. Chrom pulled back, hands up in a surrender position. “Are you alright? You weren’t responding to us.”

 

Robin stared at Chrom for a moment before shaking his head and running his hand through his hair. “I-I’m fine. Just a little shaken up, I guess.”

 

Chrom looked at Robin in concern for another moment, causing the man to cower slightly, before nodding. “The brigands are all gone now. We were just talking to the mayor about repairs and how many lives were lost.”

 

Robin blinked before looking around at the marketplace, his heart sinking. The town was devastated by the attack and he couldn’t help but think that he had a part in all of that. _If only I had come sooner, more might have survived._

 

He turned back to see Chrom gone, talking to an elderly man. The tactician sighed before looking at his sword, still embedded in the brigand. He walked over and pulled the sword out, wincing at the squishing sound it made.

 

He looked at the body for a few more moments before leaving the scene.

 

\-------

 

Chrom sighed, finally finished with his talk with the mayor. Despite the state of the marketplace, very few lives were actually lost. The several that were injured were quickly healed by Lissa and the wares sold at the marketplace were not as critical to lose as they could’ve been. With the farming season being at its height, most of the vendors were actually experiencing a surplus, so the crops could easily be replaced. And with the proximity to Ylisstol, the villagers could easily trade to replace what was lost.

 

_This was probably the best case scenario,_ Chrom thought. _It could’ve been much worse. Thank Gods the Shepherds were around._

 

Speaking of Shepherds, Chrom looked around and noticed that Robin was gone. He frowned. He had hoped he would be able to convince the man to join their group, but it seems he vanished.

 

The prince sighed again, walking over to Lissa and Frederick. “Are we ready to depart?”

 

Frederick nodded while Lissa whined. “Why can’t we stay here again? It’ll be sundown soon!”

 

Frederick chuckled. “It will build up your character, Milady, to sleep on the ground once in a while. You are a Shepherd, after all.”

 

“Speaking of Shepherds,” Lissa questioned, “where did Robin go? Isn’t he going to join us?”

 

Chrom shook his head. “I hadn’t had the chance to ask before he ran off. I feel he would make a valuable ally.”

 

“Or,” Frederick countered, “an unwise one. We know nothing of his origins, milord. He could still be a spy for all we know.”

 

“No.” Chrom argued. “My heart tells me he wouldn’t betray us. He’s not the type.”

 

“Milord-” Before Frederick could respond, Lissa stopped him with a squeal.

 

“There he is!” Lissa pointed at one of the canals where, sure enough, a familiar head of white hair sat at the edge of. Lissa ran over to her brother and started pushing him in Robin’s direction. “Go on! Talk to him! Charm him like you did earlier!”

 

“Wha- Lissa! What do you mean charm him?” Chrom stumbled as his sister pushed him and turned to her with a confused look. She pouted at him in return until he sighed in defeat and looked over at Robin again.

 

He straightened himself, floundering for a moment as he tried to figure out how to be ‘charming’ like Lissa said to, and ultimately decided to just walk over and talk to the other man.

 

Walking closer, Chrom could see that Robin was actually cleaning his sword in the canal. The blood seems almost all gone and Chrom could tell the other man was being delicate with the blade. The amount of care going into cleaning it was more than most would use. It must be precious to him.

 

“Where did you get that sword?” Chrom questioned, his curiosity overriding his earlier nervousness.

 

Robin jumped, sending up an arch of water with his sword as he nearly dropped it in the water. He whirled around and relaxed when he saw who it was. A small frown made its way on to the man’s face. “Oh, Chrom. I wasn’t expecting to see you again. I thought you were going to be leaving soon.”

 

“Not yet,” Chrom replied. “We were looking for you, actually.”

 

Robin blinked. “Me? Why? Did I do something wrong?” Chrom could hear the hesitation in Robin’s voice and quickly backtracked.

 

“No! No, not at all. We were hoping you would join us and become one of the Shepherds.” Chrom smiled at the tactician. That was how you did ‘charming’, right?

 

Robin’s shoulders sagged and he sighed, turning back to the water and resuming his earlier cleaning. “You wouldn’t want someone like me in your group, Chrom.”

 

The prince frowned and, realizing this may be a longer talk than he thought, sat down next to Robin at the edge of the canal. “Why not? You’re a wonderful mage, a great swordsman, and a brilliant tactician.”

 

Robin looked away from him, staring at nothing. Chrom couldn’t see his expression and frowned. Was he mad? The tips of his ears seemed to be turning red...

 

“I-I…” There’s that stuttering again. Was he intimidating Robin? Sumia does the same thing and Chrom was pretty sure she thinks he’s intimidating, too. “T-that may be what you think, Chrom. But you forget I’m also a coward.”

 

“What?” Chrom stared at the back of Robin’s head, shocked at the man’s admission. “You’re hardly a coward! You stood by my side and fought all of those brigands! A coward wouldn’t do that!”

 

“That's what you think,” Robin whispered, almost inaudibly, and confusing Chrom before speaking louder. “You forget that I nearly left, Chrom. I nearly left you and everyone else in this town die because I thought about myself before anyone else.”

 

Chrom put his hand on Robin’s shoulder, causing the other man to turn to him. Chrom took in a deep breath before saying, “But you didn’t. You came back. Every man thinks of himself before others, Robin, but someone with _courage_ is a person who helps regardless of those thoughts. Those thoughts are not what defines you, Robin. It’s what you did with them.”

 

Robin’s face flushed again and Chrom mentally prepared himself for Robin to yell, but was surprised when the man did the opposite. “R-really...?” Robin whispered, sounding as though Chrom just offered the man the whole treasury of Ylisse.

 

“Of course.” Chrom replied. “You’re a very courageous man, Robin. And a very honest one, to admit your faults. It’s a trait that I admire about you.”

 

Chrom internally groaned as Robin turned away again. He was failing at this, wasn’t he? He knew he wasn’t ‘charming’! Lissa was pranking him again! Robin was going to leave and never come bac-

 

“I-I’ll do it.”

 

The prince’s internal ramblings stopped as he stared at Robin. The other man still wouldn’t look at him, even with Chrom’s hand on his shoulder, and his voice was so quiet Chrom felt he misheard. “I’m sorry?”

 

Robin turned and looked Chrom straight in the eye and the prince could swear his face was more red than before. “I-I said I-I’ll do it. I’ll join the Shepherds.”

 

Chrom stared at the amnesiac for a few moments before he grinned. The prince stood up and offered his hand to Robin. The other man took it and Chrom raised him up, mirroring their first meeting. Robin stared at him with an expression he couldn’t quite place, but that he hoped was a good thing. “Well, then Robin…”

 

“Welcome to the Shepherds.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chrom is a dork who has no idea how one-on-one interactions with people works. The man can give a speech to an entire army without breaking a sweat, but can't handle one socially awkward tactican without panicking


	4. Hidden Intentions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robin and Lissa have some time alone and a masked man makes an appearance after the siblings have a run in with a mysterious cloaked figure...

After securing more supplies, the Shepherds started the trek towards Ylisstol. Though it was not long before Lissa started to complain about the journey. Chrom, as the older sibling, chuckled at her complaints while Frederick argued the necessity of the trip. Robin, however, was far too lost in thought for the exchange.

He couldn’t take his mind off of the brigand leader. Did the man know him? Or did his appearance betray some origin Robin couldn’t remember? The tactician flicked his gaze towards his companions and then back at himself. Though Frederick wore armor, the nobles’ clothing had exposed skin while Robin’s outfit did not. And, though the cloak was thick, his clothing didn’t feel stifling, but rather the opposite. Even during the heat of the day, Robin’s cloak felt as cool as the shade.

Looking down at his hands, Robin could see that his skin tone was much darker than his companions. Not that the Ylissians were pale, but his skin resembled something closer to the earth or the bark of a tree than the sun-kissed tan the others bore. Was he an outsider? He was found within the borders of Ylisse, but he could’ve been born elsewhere. Did he share a homeland with the brigands? Was that why they called him a traitor?

Gods, was he a part of their grou-?

Robin’s train of thought was interrupted as he ran straight into Chrom’s back, the two stumbling. Gods, he needed to stop getting lost in his head. That was the second time he’s ran into Chrom’s back _today_.

The man chuckled in response. “I take it you’re ready to camp for the night, Robin?” Robin realized he said his last thought out loud and flushed. “You must be exhausted after today.”

The tactician nodded. “Yes, I...Today has been hectic, to say the least.“ He’s only been awake a few hours and yet Robin felt as though he could sleep for days if he went to bed now.

Chrom nodded and looked back towards the path they had been following. “We will stop for the night at the next clearing we see. Then Frederick and I can hunt for food while you and Lissa can work on building a campfire.”

“I don’t think that is wise, milord,” Frederick interjected. “I don’t wish to leave milady alone with...him. It would be best if you stayed behind with her, milord.” The knight glared at Robin as though the man would pull a knife and stab his charges. _Though,_ Robin thought with a grimace, _that’s probably not far off from what he thinks I’m planning to do…_

“I’ll be fine, Frederick!” Lissa chirped. She smirked at the tactician. “If anything, he should be scared of me. If he does _anything_ shifty, I’ll whack him with my staff. And this thing isn’t soft, you know.”

Robin gulped at the idea, suddenly wondering if it would be better for _him_ to go with Frederick instead. Chrom laughed and nudged Frederick. “See? She’ll be fine.”

The knight let out a long-suffering sigh. “Very well, milord. If that is what you wish, I will not argue against it.”

A few minutes later, the group found themselves at a clearing in the forest. The hunting group branched off after Frederick tied his horse to a tree, and gave Robin a stern lecture on not harming Lissa, leaving the tactician and the girl to make a campfire.

“Ugggh! I don’t see why we couldn’t just stay in town for the night!” Lissa shouted, grabbing stones from the ground for the fireplace. “We could’ve had a warm fire, a roof over our heads, a nice steak dinner, but noooooo! We have to camp out with the bugs! _‘Cause it builds character_!” Lissa mocked.

“If you didn’t want to camp in the woods,” Robin questioned, picking up stray branches from the edges of the clearing, “then why did you decide to travel with the Shepherds? It seems to me that entails a bit of camping from the start.”

Lissa was quiet for a few moments, prompting Robin to turn and look over at her. She had stopped in her stone gathering and was looking at the ground. “I didn’t want to feel left out.” She said quietly. “Chrom was always out adventuring with the Shepherds and Emm was always busy, so I almost never saw either of them. I figured if I joined the Shepherds, they would benefit from my healing and I get to see my brother more often.”

“Emm?” Robin questioned. Lissa nodded.

“She’s our older sister. She’s really nice, but she’s always busy with meetings and stuff.” Lissa sighed.

The tactician nodded. “I’d say that’s a good reason to join the Shepherds, Lissa. I’m sure Chrom is glad to have a little sister like you.”

Lissa beamed at the praise before she suddenly smirked. “Speaking of Chrom…” She walked over to Robin, leaning into his personal space. “Why did _you_ join the Shepherds?”

Robin sputtered, taking a step back from Lissa. “Wha...what? What does Chrom have to do with anything?”

Her smirk grew. “Oh, I dunno… You looked ready to run off after the battle, but one conversation with Chrom and suddenly you’re a Shepherd. What made you change your mind? Hmmm~?”

The tactician flushed, turning away from the noble to grab more branches. “It-It had nothing to do with Chrom! Well, I mean it _did_ , but he just had some good points! Like-Like the wages Shepherds get a-and it’s not like I have anywhere else to go!”

“So it wasn’t his smile~?” Lissa teased. “You wouldn’t be the first Shepherd to fall to Chrom’s charms. It’s not like we keep him around for his brains. He’s like a walking recruitment poster!”

“L-Lissa!” Robin shouted. “You can’t talk about your brother like that, even if he is attractive!” The tactician realized his mistake the minute the words left his mouth and Lissa’s smirk grew.

“Ooooh? So you think my brother’s attractive?” She teased. “I did notice that you were only all shy around him.”

“S-Shut up!” Robin walked over to the cleared area for their fireplace and dropped his branches down. “Yes, I think he’s attractive, alright? You can hardly fault me for being nervous talking to someone whose smile is blinding. A-and has beautiful eyes…” Robin trailed off, mind drifting. “And hair that shines in the sunlight…”

The tactician’s thoughts were interrupted by Lissa’s cackles, who was now on the ground wheezing from her laughter. Robin’s face became impossibly more red as he realized who he just told all of that to. “You-” Lissa wheezed, “You’re getting all poetic! About _Chrom_!”

“I-It’s not funny! And don’t you dare say a word to him!” Robin’s pleas were met with only more laughter. The tactician huffed and turned to make the campfire since Lissa clearly wasn’t going to be any help.

\------

A short time later, with the campfire now lit and Lissa’s giggles subsided, Frederick and Chrom returned. With a dead _bear_. Robin gaped at the dead animal, wondering how, and why, the two had hunted that thing. Frederick, not minding Robin’s shock, started the task of making the meat edible for the group.

Chrom dropped down onto the ground next to Lissa. He sent her a confused look as she started giggling and Robin felt his face heat up. Gods, she wasn’t going to drop that anytime soon.

Within the hour, the group was sitting by the campfire and bear…steaks had been distributed to the group.

“Ugh!” Lissa complained, looking at her portion. “Why couldn’t you hunt something normal for once. Like a deer! Deer is normal people meat! You don’t just _hunt a bear_!”

Chrom chuckled in response. “If you don’t want your portion, Lissa, I’ll gladly take it off of your hands. More for me.”

“These are the only provisions we have until we reach the capital, milady,” Frederick explained. “If you don’t eat your food now, you’ll be hungry come sunrise and you need your strength. There may be more battles in the near future.”

The girl pouted, grumbling that Frederick wasn’t eating his portion either, but ate her food nonetheless. Robin, nearly done with his own portion, listened to the conversation with a pang of anxiety.

The three were so familiar with each other, it wasn’t hard to feel left out. Frederick had clearly known the siblings a long time, perhaps their whole lives. But at the same time, Robin was glad to not be included. His earlier conversation demonstrated to him that he was better with people one-on-one. It was easier to listen to a group talk than to speak himself.

Briefly, Robin wondered if there was anyone he was comfortable with before his memory was lost. Did he have siblings? Parents? Perhaps a best friend? He wasn’t sure, but he felt a pang of loss at the thought regardless.

“Robin, are you alright?” Chrom’s voice brought him out of his thoughts. The tactician looked up to see the group looking at him. He flushed and looked away, nodding.

“I’m-I’m fine. Just thinking.” Robin replied.

“Okay. We’re turning in for the night. I already said something but it seemed that you didn’t hear me the first time.” Chrom turned and grabbed a bedroll from Frederick’s saddlebags. Lissa and the Knight did the same and started to settle down for the night. Robin realized he didn’t have a bedroll of his own and improvised, pulling his cloak off and using it as a pillow.

After his exhausting day, Robin was out within moments.

\-------

Suddenly, Chrom was awake.

It took him a few moments to realize this. There was little transition between the land of sleep and being awake. He was asleep one moment and awake the next.

And Chrom couldn’t figure out _why_. Checking himself and his surroundings, he couldn’t find anything that woke him. He didn’t remember a nightmare, the others were still sleeping, and even the campfire had died down to embers. The forest around them was quiet, yet Chrom was awake.

_Something is wrong…_

With that thought in mind, Chrom stood, only a quiet clinking of his armor following. He searched the treeline for anything amiss: animals, brigands, anything. But nothing revealed itself in the pale moonlight.

He sighed, wondering if he could go back to sleep. He was likely being paranoid…

A glance over his companions revealed nothing wrong either. Frederick, ever the light sleeper, was still in his bedroll prompting a sigh of relief from Chrom. If Frederick woke, he’d hear a lecture over the necessity of sleep. And Robin, though Chrom couldn’t see his face, was still as well. Only the slight rise and fall of his chest indicated he was even alive.

“Big brother…?” Chrom silently cursed before turning his gaze. Lissa was sitting up in her bedroll, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

“Sorry, Lissa.” Chrom whispered. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“Where are you going…?” She whispered back. The two glanced at their companions. Still asleep.

“I’m not sure. I suddenly woke up and now I have this feeling that something’s not right…” Chrom frowned, taking another glance around the clearing. “I was considering going into the woods to investigate.”

“Then I’ll come with you.” Lissa stood up, dusting herself off. She grabbed her staff. “Someone has to make sure you don’t get yourself into too much trouble.”

Chrom quietly chuckled. “My savior.”

“You know it,” Lissa quipped back. The two, with one final glance towards their sleeping group, made their way into the surrounding forest.

“So, still feeling that ‘something isn’t right’ feeling?” Lissa asked. The two had been walking for a few moments now and Lissa apparently didn’t feel the need to whisper anymore. “Any idea what we’re looking for?”

Chrom shook his head. “No clue. Just keep an eye out for anything amiss.”

Lissa sighed. “Great. You know, Frederick is going to lecture us something awful when we get back. He doesn’t like it when we wander off.”

“We’ll see when we get back,” Chrom chuckled. “He could still be asleep…”

Chrom trailed off as he heard a rustle in the nearby brush. He paused to listen, though Lissa didn’t seem to hear the rustle as she continued. “I dunno, he’s a pretty light sleeper. He could’ve just _pretended_ to be asleep when we-”

Lissa stopped as Chrom held up a hand, interrupting her. The two stood there in silence for a few moments. He could’ve sword he heard…

There. Another rustle in the brush. “I thought I heard something,” Chrom muttered. He raised his voice. “Who’s there? Show yourself!”

Silence held the air for another several moments. The natural sounds of the forest greeted them as Chrom held one hand on his sword hilt and Lissa clutched her staff: the hoot of an owl, the buzz of insects, the whispering of the wind…

Wait.

The wind wasn’t blowing…

“Lissa get down!” Chrom shouted, tackling his sister to the ground just as another, more feminine voice shouted out ‘Arcfire!’. Lissa let out a cry as a torrent of fire passed just over their heads, lighting up the nearby trees and brush. Chrom felt the heat on his back as he shielded his sister from the flames.

After what seemed like forever, but was really only a few moments, the stream of flames ended. Though the forest was now burning, Chrom stood. He turned in the direction of the source of the fire magic just in time to catch someone running away, cloak illuminated by the burning trees. The prince cursed, realizing there was no way to catch the mage with the fire between them.

Fire that was spreading _fast._

“Damn.” Chrom cursed. He turned back towards his sister, who was sitting shocked on the ground. He pulled her to her feet and handed her the staff she dropped when he tackled her. “C’mon, we need to get out of here.”

Lissa nodded meekly, running after Chrom as he started to tug her along by her hand. The two nearly tripped moments later, however, when the ground began to shake. Chrom pulled his sister into a hug, steading her as they rode out the earthquake.

A light out of the corner of his eye drew his attention. Chrom turned his attention to the sky to see large fireballs streaking across the sky. Gods, was this that cloaked figure’s work? Everything went south so quickly. He should’ve woken up the others before he left…

Gods, Frederick and Robin. They needed to get back to the campsite _now._ Who knows if the flame has spread that far already. Their friends could be in danger.

“We need to keep moving,” Chrom announced, pulling Lissa back out of his arms and pushing her forward. She took the hint almost immediately, running again as Chrom trailed behind her.

The two had to dodge and change directions several times as fireballs landed around them. Chrom cursed as his mental map of the area was ruined. He couldn’t tell where the campsite was now…

Fortunately, the two broke out of the burning part of the forest into a clearing, though not the one with their friends. Lissa stopped, hunching over as she panted. Chrom felt bad for pushing her to run so fast, but at least they were out of danger now. The prince glanced around, hoping, but not expecting, to see the cloaked figure or their missing companions.

“Chrom!” He whipped around at Lissa’s distressed shout and found her pointing at the air. He followed her hand and his heart stopped for a moment.

There was something in the sky.

Chrom could only describe it as some kind of portal: a large circle with circling runes that almost resembled an eye. He could only watch as two figures came from the portal and fell to the ground. He winced at the impact. There was no way they came unharmed from a fall that high…

But to his surprise, the figures started standing almost immediately. They moved with jerky motions and turned to the two royals with piercing red eyes. Chrom’s breath caught at the _unnatural_ way the figures moved and he internally cursed as they started to advance towards the siblings.

“Stand back, Lissa.” Chrom drew his blade, falling into a fighting stance just as the creatures surged towards him. The unnatural movements translated into a clumsy gait and Chrom was able to easily put a large slash in the enemy’s side as they met.

He was sure that would be enough to down the opponent and was caught by surprise when the man stayed standing. Chrom watched with mute horror as the man’s head turned like an owl back towards him. He cursed as the creature’s axe flew towards him and he barely managed to put his blade up in time to block it.

The two were caught in a stalemate for a brief moment before Chrom was able to surge against him, knocking the creature off balance and sending it to the ground. Chrom, not taking any chances, leap forward and pierced the creature’s heart. It let out a groan before dissolving into purple mist.

Chrom panted, the fight exhausting him, as he tried to process what happened. It just… dissolved, unlike any creature he’s ever fought. It didn’t seem to register pain, except when it was killed. And it’s neck-

A sudden shriek piercing the air broke Chrom’s train of thought. He whipped his head up, cursing when he saw the second creature, the one he forgot about, advancing on his sister. “Lissa!” He shouted.

He leap up as fast as he could and sprinted towards his sister. He could see her, trapped between the creature and a rock, holding up her staff to protect herself. But he knew the wooden staff wouldn’t do anything against the steel of the axe.

Time seemed to slow as the creature raised its axe, primed for a killing blow. He wouldn’t make it in time. No, no no no, not Lissa! He promised Emm he’d protect her! Gods, no-!

Suddenly, something was between Lissa and the axe. No, some _one_. A swordsman held his blade up against his own neck, shielding himself and Lissa from the axe as it caught on the blade. Chrom felt relief flood his veins as he realized Lissa was safe.

However, that relief was short lived as the swordsman grunted out, “Help!”

“R-Right.” Chrom sprinted forward, distracting the fighter with a shout. The creature turned, pulling his axe back and turning his gaze towards Chrom.

It was all the opportunity the swordsman needed to turn with his own blade. He and Chrom both met the creature at the same time, hitting it on both sides with a sword. The creature let out a pained groan before dissolving into mist.

Chrom panted, searching the clearing for more of the creatures. After a few moments, it looked as though there were none. He let out a sigh of relief before turning to his sister’s savior.

The man was strange, to say the least. His attire was nearly all blue. Royal blue, in fact. The same colors found in the man's outfit were reflect on his own, though the swordsman's outfit neglected to use the white highlights found on his. And he wore a mask, shaped almost similarly to a butterfly. Chrom wouldn’t be surprised to learn that this man was a member of the Ylissean guard or even just a patriotic mercenary.

“That was quite an entrance,” Chrom said. He wouldn’t mind having this man in the Shepherds with him, with the way he saved his sister, so he asked the swordsman, “Who are you and where did you come from?”

\--------------

_Robin was surrounded by brigands._

_No matter which way he turned, there was another brigand with axes or swords drawn. Robin reached down for his own sword and paled when he realized his weapons were gone, sheath and all. He stumbled back when the brigands closed in, falling to the ground as he gazed up at them._

_From the crowd of brigands came the leader from the attack on Southtown. He towered over Robin as he lay on the ground. “Look at ya’,” the man sneered. “Ya’ were a wolf like us, but ya’ sided with the_ sheep. _”_

_The man thumped forward, grabbing Robin with a laugh when the tactician tried to back away. “‘Nd ya’ know wha’ we do with sheep, don’ cha’?” The brigand grabbed his axe, hefting it over his head in preparation for a killing blow. “We_ butcher _‘em!”_

_Robin tried to break free, but the brigand’s grip was too strong. Suddenly, the town was filled with flames, burning high above the sea of brigands. Smoke filled Robin’s lungs as the brigand’s grip turned bruising. He coughed, his gaze going fuzzy as the heat threatened to consume him-_

“Robin!” The tactician bolted up, nearly hitting Frederick as he did so. The knight backed up just in time. His hand, which had been on Robin’s shoulder attempting to wake him, fell back to his side.

“Wha…? Frederick? What’s-,” Robin started coughing again, interrupting himself as his lungs burned. “What’s going on?”

“Something has set the forest ablaze. We need to move. Now.” Frederick grabbed Robin none-too-gently, bringing him to his feet. He pushed Robin’s coat into his arms, sparing the man only a moment to put it back on before he started roughly tugging him along.

The knight went over to his horse, pushing Robin up onto the saddle before climbing on behind him. With a practiced kick to the horse, they were sprinting through the forest. The trees and fire blurred as Robin tried to regain the breath he lost before waking up.

Now that he was more awake, though dazed by the sudden heat of the forest, Robin could now see that the entire forest was filled with fire and smoke. Everywhere he looked there was something burning and when he looked up, Robin could see _fireballs_ launching across the sky. He could only be thankful that Frederick had been there to wake him up or he could’ve…

“Frederick, where’s Chrom and Lissa?!” Robin shouted back at the knight. Frederick would never grab him unless the other two were safe first. If they were in the campsite, Lissa and Chrom would’ve been in this saddle, not him and Frederick.

“I’m afraid I do not know.” Frederick replied. His face was stern but his voice was strained. “I woke when the flames first reached our camp, but _you_ were the only one there.” His expression darkened as he glared at Robin. “If I find out you’re responsible for this-”

“I’m not! I swear!” Robin interrupted, voice trembling. Everything was happening so fast: his nightmare, the forest fire, Chrom and Lissa are missing...It was taking everything in him not to fall into panic.

Suddenly, a shriek pierced the air. It wasn’t too far off and it sounded like…

“Lady Lissa!” Frederick shouted. He steered his horse toward the direction of the shriek and dug his heels in. Robin clutched the head of the saddle as they charged forward, faster than before. The burning trees blurred as they passed by, the amount of fire dropping until they reached a clearing free of the flames.

Robin breathed a sigh of relief as he spotted the two siblings across the clearing. Lissa seemed a bit shaken up and Chrom had his sword out, but neither were covered in soot the way he was and seemed generally unaffected by the fire that had consumed most of the forest.

“Milord, Milady! Are you unharmed?!” Frederick, faster than Robin thought possible, dismounted the horse and raced over to Chrom, immediately checking him over for injuries. Chrom, for once, seemed fine with this. Robin noticed as he sat on the horse that Chrom seemed exhausted. Had they been ambushed in the forest by brigands? But then, where are the bodies?

“Frederick! Robin!” Lissa’s voice wavered as she ran over to the two. Frederick turned his attention away from Chrom, apparently deeming him unharmed, and moved over to Lissa to do the same. Surprisingly, Lissa didn’t seem to mind the delicate treatment.

“What happened?” Robin asked, looking down at Chrom. “Why weren’t you at camp? And why is the forest on fire?”

Chrom sheathed his sword, looking around the clearing. “I woke up suddenly with this strange feeling that something was wrong and I left to go investigate. Lissa woke up at nearly the same time and decided to join me. We were met with a cloaked figure in the woods who I believe caused this blaze, but I’m unsure.”

“A cloaked figure?” Frederick questioned, narrowing his eyes at Robin, who shrank back.

“I-It wasn’t Robin!” Lissa spoke up. “I think it was a girl. O-or a woman. It wasn’t Robin’s voice we heard.”

“Nevermind that,” Chrom interrupted. “We ran from the forest, looking for our camp, when these...things showed up. From the sky.”

“From the sky…?” Robin questioned. Lissa vigorously nodded her head. “Where are they now? I don’t see any bodies around.”

“They turned into mist when I killed them,” Chrom replied. He paused, looking at Robin. “...Why are you on Frederick’s horse?”

“I grabbed him from the campsite, milord. I felt you would have been disappointed if I left him there alone.” Frederick sighed. “He appeared asleep when the blaze reached our campsite and, though he may have been faking it, I don’t believe he would’ve made it out without help.”

“That,” Robin added, clutching the saddle as the horse shifted, “and I don’t know how to get down from here.”

Frederick sighed again before walking back to his horse and helping the tactician off of the horse. Robin wobbled slightly when he feet finally touched the ground, but he was more than happy to be off of the horse. Said horse let out a huff of air and Robin jumped, backing away from the animal.

“Alright…” Robin started, “I think it might be best for us to make our way out of the forest now before the fire gets too far-”

A low groan from the treeline interrupted him. The group turned to see several sets of red, glowing eyes staring back at them. Robin shivered, taking a step away from the eyes. “What….what is that?!”

Chrom drew his sword. “Those are the creatures that attacked us before. Damn it, I had hoped the two we dealt with were the only ones.” Chrom turned around, looking around the clearing before cursing. “And it seems our masked friend is gone as well.”

“Masked friend?” Robin questioned, pulling his tome out.

“We may speak of him later,” Frederick called, mounting his steed. “For now we have enemies to combat.”

True to his word, the creatures suddenly sprang from the treeline, sprinting for the group of Shepherds.

\------

Robin shut his tome, panting as he searched the trees around him. It seemed like the creatures were finally all dead. As previously instructed by Chrom, Robin called out to the rests of the Shepherds, “All clear!”

He paused, listening for a response. He didn’t have to wait long before he heard Frederick call the same followed by Sully, a Shepherd that had been separated from the group before Robin joined up. She was a godsend as it was: they were relying heavily on the abandoned fortresses to keep them safe from the massese before she burst in, mowing down the creatures like they were nothing.

Her archer companion was also a good help. He was able to weaken some of the creatures, allowing them to better take them out. Though Chrom seemed confused at his appearance, explaining that he’d never seen the man before.

Robin picked his way through the undergrowth towards where Frederick’s voice had called. The tactician had broken off from the group to handle a stray fighter, as his magic took them out better than the group’s weapons, but he wasn’t too far. Within moments, Robin was breaking into a clearing holding the other Shepherds. He sighed with relief that none of the them seemed too injured, though the archer standing next to a irritated Sully was holding a bleeding nose and had a faint imprint of a boot on his face.

Said woman looked over at Robin’s appearance. “See, Chrom? I told you pretty boy would be fine.”

Robin sputtered, “P-pretty boy?!” Sully laughed but didn’t get the chance to explain before Frederick addressed the Shepherds.

“The creatures have all been slain. It seems the ones we missed were killed by this young man.” The knight gestured to his right where a masked man stood. Robin blinked at the newcomer, a part of him irritated at Frederick’s casual treatment of the man. Why does Robin get the rough treatment but this newcomer is immediately praised?

And then there was the man himself. He was dressed almost head to toe in blue; the same blue that Chrom wore. And he wore a mask, which was strange in and of itself. Robin’s eyes drifted towards the man’s weapon, sheathed at his side. It looked so familiar, but where had he seen it before…?

Robin was brought out of his thoughts by Chrom’s voice. “I never got the opportunity to thank you for saving my sister. My name is Chrom. Might I know who my sister’s savior is, now that our enemies are dead?”

“You may call me Marth,” the man replied. Robin paused again. There was something strange about the man’s voice. It was deep enough to be male, certainly, but it had a strain to it. Like he was trying to mask his true voice. The tactician didn’t trust this man. He was hiding something.

“The Hero-king is certainly a namesake to live up to. But I believe you do the man justice. Where did you learn to fight?” Chrom asked. Robin took a step forward, despite the glare Frederick sent him, and stood next to the noble. Chrom briefly glanced at Robin, confusion evident in his gaze, but the tactician kept his focus on the swordsman.

Marth flinched. Robin wouldn’t have caught it if he wasn’t paying attention, it was so minute. “I…” The man shook his head. “I am not here to talk about myself. We teeter on the brink of calamity. What you saw tonight was but a prelude. You have been warned,” Marth said, almost mechanically, as though he’d prepared the speech beforehand.

The swordsman then turned and walked away. Robin frowned and started after the man. He had to have known him. That flinch was too telling. “Robin!” Both the tactician and the swordsman stopped at Chrom’s call. The man in question turned around to meet Chrom’s gaze. “Where are you going?”

“After what he just told us, you want to just let him go, Chrom?” Robin questioned. “He could be associated with those creatures. He-”

“Your name is Robin?” The tactician was interrupted by Marth, who sounded surprised. He turned, his expression clouding with confusion at the swordsman’s question.

“Yes, I…” Robin hesitated. “I don’t remember anything of my past, including my name. So I took up a new one.”

Marth looked pained at the statement. “This...this changes things…” He whispered, so quietly that Robin doubted the other Shepherds heard it. The man shook his head before turning and sprinting away.

“H-hey!” Robin called after him, shocked at the sudden departure. He was about to give chase when a hand descended on his shoulder. He turned to find Chrom standing there with a frown on his face.

“Robin, let him be. We need to get back to the capital and make sure these creatures have not spread further.” Chrom was unusually solemn as he said this and Robin felt a knot of guilt in ihs stomach. There were others in possible danger, but he was only thinking about his past.

The tactician nodded, following Chrom back to the group. He turned red when he realized everyone’s eyes were on him. Gods, that was embarrassing…

But who was Marth? And was he associated with that cloaked woman that attacked Chrom and Lissa? Was _he_ the cloaked figure?

Robin’s thoughts plagued him all the way to the capital.

\--------

Lucina fell against a tree, panting as she pulled her mask off. She was certain she was alone now; she couldn’t hear any footsteps in pursuit of her.

Gods, what was she to do now? Her plan had been for “Robin” to follow her into the woods, where she could stop him from ever becoming the fell dragon, but…

He had _amnesia._ None of the stories she heard from her mother about Grima before his possession ever mentioned amnesia. Had someone else changed fate before she could? Perhaps one of her friends had gotten to him first…

No. None of her friends were capable of giving him amnesia. Laurent, perhaps, but she doubted he would. As logical as the man was, he had a code of ethics. She doubted he would be fine stripping anyone of their memories.

Does this stop Grima? Is this enough to change the course of fate?

Lucina shook her head, sighing. It was difficult to know at this point. All she could do is observe and intervene when needed. She slipped her mask back on, pulling it taunt once more, before standing and pursuing the Shepherds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long to get back to this! I wanted to create an outline for the story so I knew where it was going and I ended up more or less rewriting the whole story that I had planned. I changed the title to better fit the Chrom/Robin/Olivia ship and I edited some of the chapters since I decided to get rid of Robin's defining quirk. I felt it was better to come closer to the canon Robin than the one I had, especially since it makes more sense later in the story. I hope this big update makes up for it!


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